The Kazekage's Heir
by HypnoLullaby
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto's life has been something completely pitiful and pathetic until he was finally thrown away from the place he lived in. Forced to cross a desert in order to save his life, he finally reaches a certain Hidden Village where he trains as a puppeteer, i order to become the new Kazekage. NarutoxTemari/FemGaara/FemKankuro (Kankuri)
1. Chapter 1

The Kazekage's Heir

Chapter One

A Scorpion in the Desert

A little, blond, spiky-haired boy dragged himself along the sand dunes, desperately trying to make it to the big, beige wall that stood in the horizon.

His face was shaped into a frown, a pitiful attempt at keeping his eyes clear from stray grains of sand.

It was useless, however. First, because unless you had goggles, it was quite impossible to save your eyes from their microscopic enemies in the middle of a sandstorm. And Second, the extreme dehidration he was suffering made it so he had to blink several times each second in order to keep his eyeballs moist enough to operate.

Three weeks had passed since he was forced into the desert, carrying nothing but himself and water, which he had run out of three days before.

At first, he merely wandered around with no real goal in mind before coming face to face with a battlezone.

**Flashback**

Corpses from both Oto and Suna ninja populated a hill of sand, accompanied by multiple bells and splinters that belonged to a wooden humanoid which layed down in the middle of the "field", smashed to pieces. Naruto had no idea what either of the unusual weapons were for, but he didn't pay them further attention.

Despite his sorry state of being a week without food, Naruto kept his mind clear enough to scavenge. After a bit of searching, the boy was rewarded with a map of the desert which pointed a few of the only unchanging reference spots, and the only Hidden Village that was close to them.

The jinchuuriki smiled. Even though he was just five years old, he knew that a Hidden Village meant safety, water and food. Maybe even civilians that wouldn't beat him down, starve him and then throw him to the Land of Wind.

He rose his head and managed to catch a silhouette in the horizon.

The man was taller than average, and dressed in black. He was casually holding someone's body with his left arm, having his back to Naruto.

The only distinctive features that could be seen were the short, spiky, crimson red hair, and the red scorpion on the back of his dark shirt.

As if sensing someone staring at him, the man looked over his shoulder, examining the boy, before shooting him a kind smile that would win over any lady's heart and the trust of any child.

Naruto rubbed his eyes, and when he reopened them, the man was no more. He shrugged and went on his way. _Probably another mirage..._

**Flashback End**

And there he was, the home stretch. Just a few more steps and salvation would surely come.

He stumbled forward, light fading from his eyes as his legs gave out from under him, making him fall on his knees and then forward. The only things he could make out before sweet unconsciousness came where the yells of two gate guards as they rushed to him.

**Many Hours Later**

Our little hero opened his eyes, readying himself for yet another flash of light, courtesy of the desert's scorching sun. But, surprisingly, it wasn't there.

In it's place was a dim light coming from a long, straight lightbulb inlodged inthe wall facing him.

He was lying on a single bed, tubes coming from bags of serum and urine into his arms and penis. They felt weird, but he endured it. After many nights spent in the hospital, even a five year old learned not to mess with anything that looked like it was keeping them alive.

After looking around for a bit, he noticed that he was, in fact, inside a hospital, if the curtains pulled back by the sides of the bed or the machines beeping at every heart beat were anything to go by.

Something else he noticed was that this hospital room was nice, clean, smelling of disinfectant, and only had one bed, his own. Konoha's were the absolute opposite with many puddles of stale water and, normally, five beds crammed up in a single room.

The door opened, snatching his attention as a man walked in. This man had auburn hair, dark eyes and had a smile on his face. He wore a simple black jacket and pants with mesh armour underneath and was carrying a small cannister strapped to his hip.

He was quickly followed by a small, cute looking girl. She wore her sand-blond hair tied in four ponytails and her eyes were jade-green. She wore a black kimono over her fair skin, and carried a long, black object almost the size of herself on her back. Her innocent look, as she hid behind her father's leg, accentuated the small jinchuuriki's opinion of her. _She's pretty._

Noticing the boy looking both at him and his daughter with curiosity, the man decided manners were in order.

"Come on now, Temari. Go ahead and introduce yourself to the boy."- he told the girl as he pushed her forward, encouraging her. She hesitated, but eventually opened.

"H-Hi. I'm S-Sabaku no T-Temari. I-I'm seven years old. W-Who are you?"- she greeted, stuttering with shyness. Naruto gave her a puzzled look.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I'm five years old."- he replied, a curious expression now on his face as he turned it to look at the man. He didn't to say anything as the man smiled at him, getting the message.

"And I am Sabaku no Kirino, but most people know me as the Fourth Kazekage. I am fourty years old."- he followed, introducing himself before noticing Naruto's facial expression of surprise.- "Is something wrong?"

"You don't look like a Kage."- and, as a matter of fact, he didn't. The only Kage Naruto knew where all of the Hokage that had existed and each of them either wore the Kage robes or some attack armour. This man wore casual clothes. Kirino laughed as he understood the youngling's confusion, slapping his right leg to calm himself down.

"I get where that's coming from. It's just that out here, in the middle of the desert where the sun is scorching hot, those robes aren't as confortable. Besides, right now I'm not on duty. I was just training Temari here."- he explained with a warm smile on his face, patting Temari on the hair, something she loved and hated at the same time.- "Come on, Mari-chan, show the boy what you can do."

The little girl quickly forgot all about shyness as she took out the long object from its holster on her back, determined to impress the boy she had just met.

She opened the object, revealing that it was, in fact, a fan. She put it down on the ground, fully opened showing three red circles before performing hand seals. _Tiger, Ox, Dog, Rabbit, Snake._ After that, she pulled the fan up again, readying herself.

"F-Fuuton: Daitoppa! (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)"- Temari swung the small war fan and a small, but powerful burst of wind went straight at Naruto, who was now sitting on the front edge of the bed. _Big mistake._ The Kazekage thought as the little boy went flying against the wall behind him, slipping off of it and ending up laying on the bed again, though this time he was clutching at his head.

"Owww..."- he softly moaned in pain, but not like most children would moan. His was a calmed moan, as if the pain wasn't that intense and he had had worse. This interested the Kazekage as he narrowed his eyes. Temari yeep'd and quickly put her fan back, rushing to Naruto.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! Are you ok?"- she asked desperately, afraid that she had harmed the boy. It took him a few moments but he nodded, raising his head.

"I think so, but please don't do it again."- Naruto begged, rubbing the back of his head. Kirino laughed at the situation.

"My boy, you impress me. First, you survive my desert. Second, you recover from severe dehydration and malnutrition within hours. And last, after all of that, you're sent flying head first against a wall and shrug it off as nothing. I like you. You're full of potential."- the Kage declared firmly, receiving yet another look of curiosity from Naruto.

"Temari, could you go and practice your wind jutsu outside while I speak to Naruto? It's a private conversation."- he asked, as his daughter quickly nodded and ran away, mostly in embarassment and guilt from hitting the boy she thought was cute, and probably did not have cooties. The Kazekage smiled one last time before turning to Naruto.

"Now, my boy, how did you end up by my gates? Why did a five year old cross all of the desert?"- he asked with a now expressionless face, receiving a sad look from Naruto as an answer.

"The villagers hit me and threw me into the sandy place. They said that if I came back, they would kill me."- he told, bad memories of a beating flooding his mind. The Kazekage's eyes narrowed.

"Oh really? And what village did you come from? Why did they do such a thing to you, Naruto?"

"I lived in Konoha. They didn't like me much, there. The old lady that owned the orphanage told me I had a monster in me before she kicked me out."- Naruto explained, his face the epithome of sadness. Kirino let no emotions come alive in his face, but inside, he was revolting. How could someone do such a thing to a child?

True, he sealed the Ichibi inside his own daughter, but he didn't ostracize her. He fed her, gave her shelter and clothes. Hell, he even tried to give her the love and bond he had with Temari and Kankuri. She was the one who didn't want anything to do with him, and tried to kill him every time she saw him. He didn't blame her, though.

"Don't worry, I'll send a message to the Third Hokage right away and convince him to take you back."- he offered, but Naruto's eyes quickly widened and he shook his head.

"Please, no! Hokage no gii-san has tried, but he told me he can't keep eyes on me at all times! If I go back, they'll hurt me and kill me! Let me stay! This place is nice!"- the sheer desperation in the boy's voice warmed up to the Kage's heart. How could he deny it?

"Are you sure? Sunagakure is not an easy place to live in. Who would you stay with?"

"With you! Please! I swear I won't be any trouble! Or teach me jutsu so they can't hurt me anymore!"- Kirino pondered over Naruto's words for a moment. It was true that if he sent the child back, he'd probably be killed. He had heard that the little Uzumaki was a jinchuuriki from Hiruzen, and knew from personal experience through his daughter that being one wasn't easy.

If he accepted the boy into the village and into his home, he would finally have a heir and probably a strong shinobi in his forces. Besides, he had always wanted a son.

"Ok. But on two conditions. First, you will do as I say no matter what, and never hesitate. Second, you have to agree to become my heir and take the Kazekage place when I die. How you do so is up to you. What do you say?"

Naruto looked up at the man, his eyes filled with gratitude.

"Yes! I swear I won't let you down!"- he swore. Kirino laughed out loud from the boys determination before laying a hand on his head.

"I know you won't...my son."

**One Month Later**

Our little hero walked around Sunagakure, a distressed look on his face. The village hidden in the sand was everything he wanted, really. He loved the constant, cold wind fighting him and trying to push him back as he walked, and the sun that rarely allowed for rain at all.

The people were nice to him, even those that didn't know he was the Kazekage's adopted son. He'd walk into a store and the owners would immediately offer advice and help on how to choose their items, whichever they were. In Konoha, as soon as he walked into a store, Naruto could count the seconds that it would take for him to be thrown out.

His new family was also fantastic for him. Karura, the mother of all of the Kazekage's daughters had died, but everyone else was still there.

Temari had quickly made him her little brother, and instructed him on basic shinobi knowledge, like chakra and the standard Genin jutsu. He was responding well to the teaching, with good results, and she was going to teach him about elemental affinities in that very afternoon.

Kankuri, who at first had looked at him in a weird way, accepted him somewhat as a younger brother that you practice mischief with. She taught Naruto about bladed weapons and even had given him the adress for a store she thought he would like.

Gaara, however, acted like Naruto was merely part of the landscape. Not that she acted better towards anyone, since she hated pretty much every person, but she seemed to not hate Naruto, if that made any sense.

He had really only tried to approach her and talk with her once. And even though she only replied in short sentences, she didn't try to murder him with sand or tell him to go away unless he wanted to die. Maybe it had something to do with the funny looks she gave him when she thought he wasn't looking.

And then there was Kirino. The man was often really busy with work, but most days he made time for the children, and they'd spend hours joking around.

That was why Naruto was so frustrated. He was being offered so much, given things he never thought he'd have, and he couldn't repay them unless he fulfilled his promise.

He needed to become a real ninja and fast, if he wanted to be strong enough to become a Kazekage. That's when he took out the small piece of paper Kankuri had handed him with the address of a "special" weapon shop written on it. Or so she said.

He arrived at the place and noticed how small, yet cozy the shop seemed. He entered and saw that it was very clean, and any and all weapons that were on display were sharpened to the limit and polished until they became mirrors.

But there was something definitely strange about the place. Aside the blades and interesting weapons, it also had wooden joints and arms, for some reason.

"Hello there, my dear boy! Is there anything I can help you with?"- a sweet voice came from a corner of the shop. As he looked to find the voice's owner, he saw an old, tubby woman that seemed like she was in her seventies. Her hair was of a very light purple, and her eyes were black as night. Although her face was filled with wrinkles and fat that betrayed her age, it was still warm as she gave him a smile that came from her heart.

"Yes. Are you Chiyo-baa sama?"- he asked, calling her by the name that Kankuri had given him. She smiled and nodded politely.- "Kankuri told me to come see you."

"Oh! You're a friend of Kankuri's? Well, I know what she wants. Come with me, my dear boy."- the old lady asked, heading to the back of the shop. They reached a nice spot with a table that was probably used as a workdesk. On it, was a small, hand-sized puppet.

Naruto was expecting her to pull some wires out of somewhere but she merely rose her right hand and the puppet rose with it, turning around and bowing to the blond jinchuuriki as Chiyo flicked her fingers. Naruto's eyes shone with excitement and awe as the puppet initiated an intricate dance for him, and didn't notice the old woman's mischievous chuckle until the small wooden doll jumped at him and a blade came out of a hole in its palm that Naruto didn't even know was there before.

"This, my boy, is Shinobi Puppetry. The art of manipulating any puppets you create with near-invisible strings made of chakra. Most deem this fighting style harmless and silly, but in the hands of a master, even a small puppet like that could be an effective assassin."- she explained, and the little boy didn't even care he had a nail-sized hidden blade put up against his throat anymore, such was his excitement.

"This is the path Kankuri has chosen. This is the path I have chosen. Is this the path you will choose?"- Chiyo asked him, an all-knowing smile on her face. The little blond one had fallen to the spell.

"Yes!"

(And that, mates, was chapter 1. This is my new fiction and I hope I started it well. Do note that Naruto is five in this chapter because I'm pretty much telling the story of how he became a puppeteer first before we get to the real action! If you liked this fic, Follow/Favorite and Review! You've got no idea how much it helps when you point out what needs to be improved.)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Five Years Later**

"What are you working on, Naruto?"- Kankuri asked as she entered the boy's bedroom on the third floor of Sabaku Manor.

The blond was tinkering with a bunch of small, articulated yet primitive wooden limbs on his desk, which was new. The Fourth Kazekage had the wisdom to replace the old one with an actual workshop one after Naruto's decision to become a puppeteer.

I, your humble narrator say it was wise, because as soon as it was installed, it was not given any rest.

Of course, he had puppeteering training with Chiyo, which kept him occupied and always nearly exhausted. But aside that and the daily two hours he took from his schedule in order to spend time with his family, he spent every waking second in his workshop.

He was now known as a prodigy. From the moment that the old woman who had led the entire Puppet batallion into the Third Great Ninja War taught him how to create chakra strings, every step he had been taking was considered one of a genius.

At the ripe age of ten, he was fully able to control a single puppet using only his left hand, even though he wasn't able to control two at a time. But still, most puppeteers could only control single puppets with single hands after decades of training.

He was also responsible for the design of at least three masterful puppets that he immediately took a pure hatred to and doomed to rot in the Kazekage's vault. Apparently, the boy was afraid of his own creations.

Most of the moments spent in his workshop were invested in said designs, but mostly, designs of puppets that he would actually like to have in the future, since at the moment, he couldn't control any fantastically adanced ones.

One of his favorites was that of a wooden monkey that was half of his one and a half meters size. He just liked it because it was almost the perfect weapon. It had fangs, claws and a spiked tail like a scorpion, all covered in his own poison, and even though every single inch of it was to be covered in hidden weapons, it would still be quite agile and fast because of its natural body type.

But that was an idea for later times, since he still lacked the expertise to actually create said puppet and poison, which he hadn't even learned how to brew up.

"Here, Kankuri, what do you think?"- he asked his sister as he showed her the monkey design.

Albeit only eleven years old now, Kankuri looked like she was already deep in puberty. Her breasts were starting to show through the black shirt she was wearing and her bottom was beginning to plump through her dark capris pants, both growing at an alarming rate each week.

Aside that, she also wore a pair of black sandals and a cat-heared dark hood that her long dark-brown hair fell out off, ending and down to a waist-level.

Kankuri hadn't really bothered with Naruto's sudden progress in the art of puppeteering. Sure, she was a bit upset that her little prank-assisting brother had surpassed her so quickly, but the awe that was instigated in her every time she saw him practicing the art or designing a new puppet completely overruled it.

She gave the drawing that Naruto had made an evaluating look, and yet again, awe struck her. She was amazed by the complexity of the puppet that was painted in front of her, and the skeleton of its insides on the back of the same paper. She had only heard of work of this caliber, and that had been from the great AkaSuna no Sasori. Even if she was still eleven, she just knew that Naruto was going to be one of the ninja to truly have an impact on the world.

"This is really great, Naruto! How did you come up with this?"- she asked, receiving only a derpy grin from her younger adoptive brother.

"I, uh, I thought of it in a dream and just decided to test it out in real life. Apparently, it would be good."

"Naruto! Are you ready?"- Temari's voice called out, interrupting Kankuri before she could even form a reply.

"Yes, Temari nee-chan! Let me just get my puppet before going!"- he quickly replied, jumping off the chair and speeding by Kankuri.

He opened his wardrobe and rose his hand, immediately creating five chakra strings that attached to the bundle of bandages that was stored in there. A quick flick of his wrist made so that the strings pulled the bundle up and over himself before it fell onto his back as he passed his arms through the two bandages that let him hold it like a backpack.

This creation was the puppet the Kankuri had gifted Naruto in his last birthday. It was the opposite of her own puppet, Karasu (Crow), and it was named Kakashi (Scarecrow). He never even stepped out of his house without it.

With puppet on his back, his outfit was complete. He had long exchanged his old clothes for some new, more practical ones. He wore very loose and baggy harem pants and dark sandals for his lower body, accompanied with an open blood-red jacket on his upper body, revealing his torso. As a finisher, he wore a black keffiyeh scarf around his neck, which he would raise to cover all of his head except his eyes in sandstorms.

All of that accompanied with the bandage bundle he had on his back gave him an intimidating yet mysterious appearance, which helped in him becoming the most sought after boy in the Academy.

Speaking of the Academy, it was the Academy graduation day in Sunagakure. Unlike Konoha's, it was rather demanding, as it forced groups of students to fight each other into submission or unconsciousness until the last one stood. Those were the ones that graduated.

He was heading towards the front door and down the stairs when a thick wall of sand formed itself in front of him. Naruto looked to his right to see Gaara standing there.

Like Kankuri, she had also grown, but aside the mess that were the many clothes she was wearing, the noticeable parts were also her growing breasts and bottom, and the long, straight red hair that was now down to the middle of her back.

"Gaara? What's wrong?"- he asked. She didn't interact with him much at all, but when she did, it always was either important or carried a meaning. He hoped this time wouldn't be different.

"N-Nothing. I just wanted to wish you good luck at the graduation. Don't get yourself killed."- she said, oddly stuttering. Naruto was a bit confused, but quickly decided to try and get under her skin.

"Since when do you care about if I die or live?"- he asked, making her blush. To his surprise, she didn't respond, and the wall of sand flowed back into her gourd.

He shrugged internally before racing down the stairs again, quickly reaching the door, where Temari impatiently waited. She turned around hearing the sound, giving Naruto a killer look.

"Come on! You're going to be late if you keep up this pace!"- she warned, making him smile. Same old Temari. Except for her body and clothes, of course.

She now wore a very light purple dress with armor mesh around her shoulder area, connected to the forehead protector-imbued dark collar around her neck, and still carried around her Fan. Her breasts were now C cups and her behind was round enough to hold skirts on its own. She received a lot of dirty looks from older males, but anyone who passed that line usually would get too slashed to ever think about doing it again.

"There's no time to run, hop on!"- she said, rapidly opening her fan, swinging it, creating a gigantic gust of wind and immediately hopping on said open fan, using it to surf the wind she created.

Naruto was used to these stressing travels, and easily managed to hop onto the fan, shooting a smirk at the impressed children on the street.

"So tell me, are you nervous?"- she asked, giving him a smile as they glided across the air. He shrugged.

"You said the exam was made up of groups of five of us and we have to fight everyone in the group until they're sleeping or give up, right? Well, with my puppet, I'm worried that I actually kill someone."- the blond confessed. He always could tell Temari the truth. He just inherently trusted her. She laughed.

"Don't worry. People there are much tougher than they look, and even if you do almost kill one of them, the sensei would immediately jump in to save them and take them out of the exam. You've got nothing to worry about."

"Alright, thanks Temari!"

"It's ok, that's what big sisters are for. Anyway, here we are! Have fun and do us proud!"- she responded, and that's when he noticed that they were already hovering above the Exam Training Ground. _Jeez, Temari nee-chan can be fast when she wants to._

He felt her push him softly, but with enough force for him to actually fall off of her weapon. He didn't panick as he was used to these kinds of pranks, and simply flipped in the air, landing crouched with both his hands supporting him on the sand.

Training Ground Fifty Five in Sunagakure was literally the small part of desert that stood in front of the East Gate. It had enough space for everyone to fight while parents, siblings and civilians watched from the walls. Naruto smiled to himself. Wide, open spaces were a puppeteer's best friend.

As he slowly rose, he noticed that his entrance had caused quite a commotion, as everyone was looking at him, asking themselves where he had come from. _Great_, he thought to himself. If everyone considered him cool until then, what would they do now?

Squeals of most of his fangirls came to life as they came to talk with "Naruto-kun" and wish him good luck when a loud voice stopped them.

"OUR LEADER, KAZEKAGE-SAMA IS APPROACHING!"- one of the Jounin announced, making everyone turn their heads to see the man.

The Fourth Kazekage came out through the gates, wearing his traditional white and blue robes and hat that only let the people see his eyes. He looked around, his pupils stopping for a couple of seconds on Naruto, smiling before continuing his review of the ammount of students.

When he was satisfied, the teachers scrambled the various students into twelve groups of five students each, delimiting the areas that they could fight in so they wouldn't accidentally trip into some other group's battle.

"Attention, please!"- the Kazekage's voice echoed through the desert.

"I would like to say that every single one of you look promising, and thus, I am sure I will not be disappointed with who passed and who failed. I'd just like to remind you all that Sunagakure is proud of you, and waiting for you in its ninja ranks, no matter what."

"Now for the rules! Like the last few years, everyone has been split into groups of five. Each group's members have to fight each other into unconsciousness or submission. You must not interfere in another group's fight or you will be disqualified. You must not kill any of your fellow colleagues or you will be disqualified and banned from Sunagakure's Academy forever. Are we clear?"

"YES, KAZEKAGE-SAMA!"- they all affirmed in unison, making the Kage smile, getting ready to deliver the bad news.

"Now for the bad news. For this exam, there will be a new rule. Every puppeteer is hereby prohibited of using any puppets at all. First, because they are too dangerous and could end up in death or severe injury for your colleagues, and second because puppeteers must know how to defend themselves if they find themselves out of puppets to use in a real life situation. Are we understood?"

This time, the answer was not as swift. Puppeteers not able to use their puppets? What was this madness? Besides, there wasn't any puppeteer except for...

Unconsciously, the students turned to the only person who was following the art of shinobi puppetry, Sabaku no Naruto. He was eyeing his adoptive father curiously, but shrugged it off, as if he didn't really care. He glanced at the walls, and with his accurate eyes immediately spotted three people: Kankuri, Temari and Gaara.

The first actually had the Sabaku clan's War Fan and was swinging it in the air, cheering for him.

The second, was shouting and cheering for him along with Kankuri, apparently not bothered by the fact that he couldn't use his puppet at all.

And finally, Gaara was doing what she normally did. She was lower, laying against a wall, standing and having one of her eyes closed. A bit of inspection let Naruto know that her Third Eye technique was being used, with the artificial eye being two meters above him. She had a smile on her face, which was more than rare. He smiled too, filled with confidence.

"And now, with no further adue, BEGIN!"- the Kazekage proclaimed, making all of the ninjas drop into fighting stances, taking out various weapons.

Each group had a different Jounin watching over them. Naruto's had a strange female Jounin that was now lowering her arm, signaling for them to start. She had been eyeing the blond for a while now, as if determined to see what he was capable of.

She was fair-skinned with pupilless brown eyes and green hair that she tied in a bun on top of her head with a hair needle running through it and one short and long strands of hair with orange tips framing each side of her face. She wore a sleeveless, backless top and short tight pants with two lapels on the front and back. She wore an obi around her waist, as well as purple arm-warmers which extend up to her shoulders, and bandages around her tights and ankles.

He snapped out of his evaluation when one of the boys of his group laughed. He looked at him. He couldn't quite place the boy's name, but apparently, he was one of the best students at the Academy, below himself of course.

"What are you laughing about?"- another asked. This second one was the class clown if Naruto could remember well.

"Isn't it obvious? The Kazekage's son can't use his puppets! That's one threat out of our radar!"- a third joined in. This one was the one that slept through all of the classes.

Naruto noticed a fourth student. She was a silent girl, just like himself. Maki, was it? She was one of the few people he actually bothered learning the name of. Her grades were quite good, and she always scored highest in the practical parts. She was intelligent, which was made quite obvious by the way she looked at the three that were so full of themselves, as if chastising them. She knew Naruto was a threat no matter what. Something that the blond himself held her high for.

He sped through handsigns. _Rat, Tiger, Dog, Ox, Rabbit, Tiger._

"Katon: Hosenka no jutsu."- he proclaimed, spitting out five small fireballs that rushed through the air, eager to scorch their opponents.

Two of the students managed to jump over the two fireballs that were headed at them, but the third wasn't fast enough to do so, having the small projectile explode against his torso and make him flip in the air, falling to the sand and not getting up. _The lazy one's down._

The two others managed to avoid the respective two fireballs that were left, twisting their bodies in mid-air before ungracefully landing on the floor, looking at Naruto with shock on their faces.

"Katon, said to be the element of those that come to raze the land and make their enemies bow before them. I might be a puppeteer, but my skills don't stick to that. Underestimate me once again, and you have my word that you're going to regret it."- Naruto declared, looking at them with the most serious face he could muster.

"In order to become the next Kazekage, I will become emotionless in my battles. Remember that."- he finished, hearing Temari's and Kankuri's roars of motivation and cheer for his first victory. His two colleagues had horror spread in their faces.

One of them finally snapped out of it and threw five kunai in the air before releasing chakra from his hand.

"Soshujin!"- he named his technique, swinging his hand at Naruto, making the five kunai fly at him with blinding speed. Naruto stood calm, realizing it was a trap, and feeling someone move from below him. _Hiding like a mole, huh?_

"Chakra no Ito."- he created threads of chakra with his left hand, connecting every single one to a single kunai, spinning and throwing them back to their owner before crouching and reaching for two hands that came out of the sand.

"Doton: Shinzu Janshu no jutsu!"- the student cried, but Naruto was no where near a position to be pulled down, instead pulling the technique user up and out of the sand, flipping him over himself, releasing him and kicking him mid-air, sending him flying back to the side of his friend.

Both were having trouble even keeping up with the blond. The first had barely managed to avoid all five of his own kunai, and the first was at the moment attempting to rise to his feet. _Everyone in the family has passed the Academy on their first try. I'm not going to be the one to disappoint._

"Fuck it! Who says we can't work together? Let's go! Both at the same time!"- the first one suggested, immediately receiving a nod from his comrade. They took up kunai.

"You're dead, blondie!"- the second one declared as they rushed towards him, one to the left, one to the right. Naruto sped through hand seals. _Snake, Rat, Snake, Tiger._

"Katon: Haisekisho!"- he spat out a steady stream of gunpowder, effectively covering a wide area around him and his two attackers, performing another hand seal and smirking as the duo ran by him, slashing both of his sides before he puffed to smoke.

"What the? Kage Bunshin?"- one asked.

"RUN!"- the other warned. But it was too late. Naruto closed his teeth with a snap, creating a spark with the piece of flint he had in his mouth, exploding the entire cloud of powder, sending one of them flying far away, crashing to the ground and not getting up again. He was quickly taken away by a couple of Chuunin, just like the first.

He turned around, seeing the third boy land on one of his knees, breathing heavily. His left side was burned.

"You...you piece of shit..I'm going to...fucking kill you..."- he muttered, making Naruto shake his head in disapproval.

"Sure you will."- he replied, blurring before reappearing by his opponent, sidekicking his chest with all of his strength.

The boy suffered the same fate as his allies, stumbling through the sand before coming to a stop, not moving anymore. Cheers were heard from the walls.

He sensed something behind him and threw a kunai to the floor directly in front of Maki, effectively stopping her on her way.

"I'd think twice if I were you."- he advised. She took a deep breath before sighing. She had just seen him take three people down without even using his most powerful weapon.

"It's pointless to even try. I think I'll keep myself uninjured. I give up."- she declared, getting on her knees and raising her hands.

The Jounin that was watching over them waited for a moment before nodding and approaching Naruto, taking a hold of his right arm and raising it above, to the skies.

"I declare Sabaku no Naruto as the winner of this match and an official Genin!"- she proclaimed, getting roars of approval from the people in the walls. Every single one of them happy to see whom they considered to be the next Kazekage become victorious so easily. Apparently, the other fights had also ended, and the respective Jounin were also declaring the last men and women standing in their own gauntlets.

The woman that was holding his hand finally released him and handed him a forehead protector, accompanied by a folded piece of paper.

"Congratulations, you're now a Genin. That message includes information on what to do from now on. I'll see you soon, Naruto."- with that, she vanished in a swirl of fire, confusing him. He stored the paper in his ninja pouch, before tying his forehead protector around his neck, over his scarf.

It felt good as he returned to his family. The Kazekage congratulated the graduating students before approaching his adoptive son, a smile of pride in his eyes.

"Congratulations my son, I didn't expect anything less from you. You truly remind me of myself when I was your age."- he said, messing the blond's hair.

"I won't disappoint you, father. I made a promise."- Naruto responded, making Kirino laugh like a maniac.

"You sure won't, my boy. Now go. Your sisters are eager to congratulate you as well, and I've got to go. I'll see you later with a surprise."

With that, the Kage vanished with a swirl of golden sand, making Naruto smile as he turned around, facing two of his sisters.

"Congratulations, Naruto! I knew you could take them on!"- Temari said, hugging him as tight as possible and kissing his forehead before releasing him and letting Kankuri through.

"That handicap was bullshit, but you won, and you've honoured every puppeteer in the village. Good job, little brother!"- the black-hood wearing girl followed, fistbumping with him and giving him a sincere smile.

"Thanks, you two. It wasn't that hard, anyway. I still can't believe you guys were cheering like mad people over up in the walls!"

"Hehe, you know us. Anyway, we've got to go quickly. Chiyo needs Kankuri for something and Baki-sensei will take my head if I'm one second late. I'll see you later at home with a gift, Naruto! See you!"- and with that, Temari dashed away.

"Yeah, Chiyo-baa-sama will use her worst poison on me if I'm late after I promised to be on time. I've got a gift for you too, little brother. I'll see you later!"- Kankuri vanished after that as well, leaving the blond alone.

"Congratulations, N-Naruto. H-How are you f-feeling?"- a sweet voice came from behind him, making him spin on his heels as fast as possible.

Gaara stood there on all her broody grace.

"Oh, Gaara, didn't know you were there. Thanks! I'm feeling awesome! I'm finally a real ninja!"- he declared in happiness, making her blush and smile. He didn't know what was going on with her lately, but he wasn't sure if something was actually going on.

"Yes, now you can go on missions too! Good-"- she was speaking when she suddenly flinched, grasping her head in pain and moaning in agony.

"G-Gaara? Are you ok?"- he asked.

"Yes, yes, I'm ok, I'm sorry, Naruto, but I have to go. See you later!"- she quickly replied, rushing away, still holding her skull. The blond blinked.

_Well, that was interesting._

**Chapter 2, mates. I'm sorry it took so long, I was just focused on so many things. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one. Another timeskip coming soon and many other pairings going to be revealed. As always, if you liked it, Favorite or Follow and Review, it helps me write faster. See you all next time!**


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